Green-Cleaning Tactics

When it comes to cleaning, you can find a greener way to clean just about everything in the home. Your home can sparkle and shine without the use of toxic chemicals that can harm people and pets and often must be disposed of with other hazardous waste.

The basic rules of green cleaning are:

Use as little detergent as possible.

Save old toothbrushes for scrubbing dirt and stains out of small, difficult-to-reach areas.

Clean up as you go along so that dirt and grime doesn’t get too dried out and encrusted to be removed by natural cleaners.

Use a carpet sweeper or dustpan and brush instead of your vacuum cleaner for small cleaning operations.

Use non-electric tools when possible to clean more greenly.

Trade aerosol sprays for plastic spray pumps. Aerosol spray cans are filled under pressure, so when you press the button, the product is carried farther — which carries the chemicals into the air. The sprays can trigger allergic reactions in some people and bring on asthmatic attacks as well as contribute to polluting the atmosphere. (Aerosol sprays no longer contain chlorofluorocarbons, which contribute to damaging the protective ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere, but they still contain hydrocarbon-based gases.) The cans are also dangerous if they’re exposed to heat; even an empty one can explode if it gets too hot or is punctured.